25 Questions to Ask During a Bible Study

Observation questions

Start here every time. Observation questions are safe to answer, require no background, and slow the group down before anyone starts interpreting.

• What stands out to you in this passage?
• What words or ideas are repeated?
• Who is speaking and who is listening?
• Which parts are clear and which parts are difficult?
• What is the mood or tone of the passage?

Context questions

Context questions prevent the most common misreadings — treating a promise to one group as a promise to everyone, or a description as a command.

• What happens immediately before and after this passage?
• What problem or question is being addressed?
• How does this passage connect with the wider book?
• What kind of writing is this — story, letter, poem, law, vision?
• What would the first audience have already known that we do not?

Interpretation questions

These are the questions that produce real discussion. Expect disagreement, and keep returning to the words on the page.

• What assumptions might we be bringing to the text?
• What different interpretations are possible?
• What does this passage reveal about God, people, or community?
• What question would you ask the author or the original audience?
• Which reading best fits everything in the passage, not just part of it?

Application questions

Good application is specific, small, and possible this week. Vague resolutions rarely survive Tuesday.

• What would be a thoughtful application today?
• Is there a practical step worth taking this week?
• What would this passage ask of us as a group, not only as individuals?
• Where does this challenge something you currently do?
• Where does it comfort you?

Community and reflection questions

End with questions that let people be honest about where they actually are, including the parts that are unresolved.

• Has your understanding changed after hearing other perspectives?
• What should we continue discussing?
• What is still unresolved for you?
• How can we pray for you this week?
• Who is not here that we should check on?

How to use these questions well

• Choose five, not twenty-five. Depth beats coverage.
• Always move in order: observation, context, interpretation, application.
• Wait seven seconds after asking. Silence is thinking, not failure.
• Never answer your own question first.
• Write down what the group could not resolve and return to it next week.